


Marry The Hangman

by project_canary



Series: Take Me Home [2]
Category: Sideshow - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Western AU, basically a red dead au, extensive talk about death and hanging tho, theyre all cowboys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21819946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/project_canary/pseuds/project_canary
Summary: Ruby’s been given a death sentence, but Bree might just have a way to get out of it.
Series: Take Me Home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572283
Kudos: 1





	Marry The Hangman

**Author's Note:**

> I said, “I know you’ve got your job.”
> 
> He said, “The grace that I have brung is that your death is gonna save you from the things you’re running from.”

Ruby didn’t want to die. Not yet. She sat in the corner, gazing up at the single small window that hung high on the stone wall. The cell was cold and wet with morning dew that still hung in the air, but would soon dry as the sun rose and warmed the stone bricks outside. The chains hung heavy around her wrists, and she shifted her dress, covering the ones around her ankles, the chains snaking their way back to the wall. The sand that made up the floor of the cell was cold and she hugged her knees closer. It was still too early for the town to be awake, the only sounds that of distant coyotes and the closer blowing of wind. Ruby closed her eyes. It’s strange how calm you become when faced with the certainty of death. Knowing that your life is finite, that you only have a certain amount of time left. Like being tied on the train tracks and knowing you can’t undo the knots. They say that hanging is painless. You lose consciousness before you even know you’re dying, or your neck will snap and you can’t feel a thing anyway.

The cleanup, that’s the worst part. The people that will have to deal with the body. The swollen tongue and bruised neck, the already stiff body as they lower you from the gallows. The people you leave behind. Do they bury you in a nice wooden casket? Do they carry flowers, do they wear black veils, do they mourn?

What if you don’t have a family? Do you get a shallow grave, or do they leave your body for the coyotes? Will anyone remember without a grave? Ruby felt a tear roll down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. She really didn’t want to die.

“Hey.” Ruby heard a voice, and she sniffled, looking around for the source. She pushed herself up to her knees, her eyebrows scrunching together.

“Hello?” She responded, eyeing the small window, wondering if the voice was coming from there.  
  


“Down here,” the voice coaxed. Ruby could tell it was a woman, her voice low and sweet. She crawled over to the stone wall, pressing her hands against it. “Closer,” the voice encouraged, and Ruby ducked down, feeling for cracks. A hole near the bottom of the wall. Ruby peered through, and found herself staring into a bright hazel eye. She jumped back with a start. “Sorry,” she laughed, the voice bubbly and lively in the dull and somber walls of the jail. Ruby let out a shaky laugh in return.

“It’s okay,” she breathed. Ruby could hear chains clinking as the woman readjusted herself.

“Are you okay?” The woman inquired, and Ruby was quiet, feeling awkward now answering the question. “I’m sorry if I’m intruding, but, you know, I thought you could use someone to talk to.” Ruby was still quiet. “How about I tell you about myself? My name’s Bree. I tried to steal some horses from this guy that really didn’t deserve them. I got caught, but they’re letting me out. Uh,” the chains rattled quietly again, and Ruby assumed Bree was shifting from side to side. “I like watching the sunset, and swimming in the creeks that are cold from the mountain.” She stopped again.

“Fine,” Ruby conceded. “I’m Ruby.”

“Nice to meet you Ruby,” Bree chatted. Ruby leaned against the wall, drawing shapes in the sand. Where would I even start? Ruby thought.

“I…” Ruby cleared her throat. “I grew up on the east coast, and moved here when my parents died.” Bree was quiet, so Ruby continued. “I learned to steal. I didn’t do it all the time, but whenever I needed a little extra money, or saw something that really caught my eye,” Ruby exhaled. “I never meant for anyone to get hurt, but he grabbed me by wrist and scared me…he lost his footing and…” Ruby’s breath caught. “They had to scrape his body off the tracks. I didn’t know he was some big time oil tycoon. No matter how hard I tried to convince the sheriff that it was an accident, there was no way he would listen to me.” Ruby could feel the tears beginning again, and she let them fall, leaving dark spots on her dress. “I’m sentenced to hang.” Bree was silent on the other side of the wall. Ruby cried, the sobbed racking her body as she gripped angrily at the sand, pulling at her chains.

“We’ll figure something out.”

“What?” Ruby mumbled, her sobs halting as she tried to make sense of Bree’s words. “Figure something out? I’m no better than dead.” An uncomfortable silence hung between them again, and Ruby noticed the ray of sunlight that had crawled its way along the floor of her cell. The sand glittered like glass in the brightness, their only interruption the bars running across the windows. She pulled herself to the light, letting the sun wash over her, warming her damp clothes and pale skin. There was nothing that Ruby wouldn’t do to feel that light in freedom. She sighed. “Fine. What’s your plan.”

“I need you to trust me.”

—

Ruby must have been asleep when they took Bree. She had called out when she awoke, but there was no answer, just the empty echoes of a desolate jail. When she awoke it was dark, moonlight filtering through the window, casting a new shadow on the cell floor. When she realized that she had been left alone once again, Ruby pulled on the chains until her fingers bled dark blue in the moonlight. Whimpering desperately, she clawed at her shackles, knowing her efforts were useless. Why would she tempt me with freedom just to leave me? Finally she gave up, exhausting herself enough to slump down in a fretful sleep. She didn’t dream, instead waking in a sweat that left her skin covered in sand. The church bell rang out, Ruby counting the chimes.

“Six…seven…eight…” She held her breath, waiting for another toll. It didn’t come. Instead the prison guard rattled her cell bars, dangling the keys in front of her.

“Almost time, sweety,” He crooned, his voice thick and harsh. “Any last requests?” Ruby thought for a moment, trying to think of anything else she could want for another few hours of life.

“Could I have a new dress?” The man grumbled something unintelligible, but left without further complaint. If nothing else, Ruby wanted to look nice when they took her body out into the wilderness.

The next few hours blurred together. Ruby tried to think of anything that she wanted to do differently, things that she regretted. Instead, she came up with a list of everything that she wanted to do. Travel to the edge of the world and keep going, climb the tallest mountain, visit the ocean again. She wrote them all in the sand, knowing that they’d blow away, knowing they were fruitless.

The guard came again, this time holding a fold of beautiful, dark blue fabric. He unlocked the door, handing it through the door and Ruby grabbed it quickly, trying to not let this one dream escape.

“Here,” he walked forward, a new sadness tinging his voice. “Let me undo the chains.” Gently, he unlocked each of the shackles, and Ruby rubbed her wrists, trying to remember the feeling. “Oh,” the guard mumbled. “Let me,” He trailed off, turning around to let Ruby change. The dress was big, its neckline a little loose, the sleeves almost too long, but Ruby loved it.

“I’m ready.” The man turned back around and Ruby held out her wrists, forcing a smile. The guard handcuffed her again, leading her out of the cell. She shuffled along, squinting as the man opened the front door, light spilling in. The town was small, really only one street, and the gallows were built in the middle. A crowd was already gathered, awaiting the large spectacle of an execution. Ruby was led across the town square, to right in front of the large wooden structure. Three nooses hung along the plank, swaying lightly in the breeze. As the guard pushed her slowly up the stairs, Ruby examined the executioner. He was standing tall to the side, his mouth and nose covered by a black bandana. He wore a clean white shirt and a black silk was tucked in as a scarf around his neck. He wore a black cowboy hat, and Ruby could see a silver cross dangling around their neck. He pulled out a pocket watch, tapping his foot in impatience.

The guard pulled Ruby to a stop. She looked out to the crowd, but the faces seemed to melt together in a haze. Behind her, Ruby could hear the other two prisoners ascending the steps as well.

The church bell began its toll, and Ruby counted.

“Eight…nine…ten…eleven…twelve.”

“It’s time,” the guard remarked, the executioner nodding in return. He approached Ruby, gesturing for her to walk forward. He led her to the final noose, and Ruby closed her eyes as he reached up, fitting the noose loosely around her neck. She could feel him staring, and she opened her eyes again, finding herself face to face with a set of intense hazel eyes.

Hazel eyes that seemed much too familiar.

Seeing the recognition in Ruby’s eyes’, Bree smiled, her own eyes squinting in happiness. She leaned in, breathing softly on Ruby’s neck.

“I told you I’d get you out of this,” she whispered, then leaned back, attending to the next prisoner. Ruby didn’t know what to think. What was Bree doing? The two other prisoners were lined up, and Bree stood at the switch.

“Ready when you are,” the guard assured, and Bree glanced over.

“One moment sir,” Bree interrupted in a deep voice, leaving her post. She strided to where Ruby was standing, pulling the noose from her neck, and wrapping an arm around her. “I am in love with this woman.” The guard laughed.

“In love with a dead woman?” He cackled, and the crowd joined in. Ruby could see a smile grow across Bree’s face.

“Am I not the hangman? The rules state that to marry the hangman frees one from death.” The crowd quieted into uncomfortable mumblings, and even the guard seemed hung for words.

“I uh,” he stumbled, clearly trying to cover his tracks.

“The executioner is correct.” A voice from the crowd called. The people split to reveal the figure of a priest. “A man may escape death by becoming the undesirable hangman, and a woman by marrying the hangman.” The priest adjusted his glasses. “Really, the only question we should be asking is: do you love the executioner?” The priest gestured to Ruby. Ruby stared into Bree’s eyes, knowing they held freedom.

“Yes,” she proclaimed, a smirk on her face as she grasped Bree’s hand.

“And you?” He swept with his hand, and Bree nodded quickly.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, and the priest smiled.

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Bree began to laugh, pulling down her bandana and throwing off her hat, revealing her long hair underneath.

“No take-backs!” She yelled, the crowd gasping. Bree swept up Ruby, who clasped her hands around Bree’s neck. Bree walked to the front of the platform, and people began to understand what was happening.

“Stop them!” Someone yelled and the guard tried to rush up on them, but Bree spun Ruby around, Ruby kicking him off the platform. Like any group out for blood, the crowd began fighting amongst themselves. In the commotion, Bree whistled, and a horse galloped through the crowd, stopping in front of her.

“Ready to go?” Bree mused, and Ruby rolled her eyes with a smile.

“More than ever.”

**Author's Note:**

> There actually is a poem that inspired this short story! It's called Marrying the Hangman by Margaret Atwood!


End file.
